Technical Assistance Report

Page created by Janet Brewer
 
CONTINUE READING
Technical Assistance Report

Project Number: 52216-001
Knowledge and Support Technical Assistance Cluster (C-KSTA)
October 2018

Asian Development Outlook 2019–2021

This document is being disclosed to the public in accordance with ADB's Public Communications
Policy 2011.
ABBREVIATIONS

           ADB            –      Asian Development Bank
           ADO            –      Asian Development Outlook
           DME            –      developing member economy
           ERCD           –      Economic Research and Regional Cooperation Department
           ERMR           –      Macroeconomics Research Division
           KPA            –      knowledge partnership agreement
           TA             –      technical assistance

                                               NOTE
                       In this report, "$" refers to United States dollars.

Vice-President       Bambang Susantono, Knowledge Management and Sustainable
                     Development
Director General     Yasuyuki Sawada, Economic Research and Regional Cooperation
                     Department (ERCD)

Team leader          Joseph Ernest Zveglich, Jr., Deputy Chief Economist and concurrent
                     Director, Macroeconomics Research Division, ERCD
Team member          Editha Laviña, Senior Economics Officer, ERCD

In preparing any country program or strategy, financing any project, or by making any
designation of or reference to a particular territory or geographic area in this document, the
Asian Development Bank does not intend to make any judgments as to the legal or other status
of any territory or area.
CONTENTS

                                                         Page
KNOWLEDGE AND SUPPORT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AT A GLANCE
I.     INTRODUCTION                                         1
II.    ISSUES                                               1
III.   JUSTIFICATION FOR CLUSTER MODALITY                   3
IV.    THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CLUSTER                     3
       A.     Impact, Outcome, and Outputs                  3
       B.     Cost and Financing                            4
       C.     Implementation Arrangements                   4
V.     THE PRESIDENT’S DECISION                             5

APPENDIXES
1.     Design and Monitoring Framework                      6
2.     Subproject Descriptions                              8
Project Classification Information Status: Complete

                   KNOWLEDGE AND SUPPORT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AT A GLANCE
1. Basic Data                                                                                   Project Number: 52216-001
   Project Name              Asian Development Outlook 2019–        Department/Division         ERCD/ERMR
                             2021
     Nature of Activity      Research and Development               Executing Agency            Asian Development Bank
     Modality                Cluster
     Country                 REG (45 countries)

2. Sector                    Subsector(s)                                                        ADB Financing ($ million)
   Multisector               ADB's corporate management, policy and strategy development                              3.00
                                                                                               Total                  3.00
qq

3. Strategic Agenda          Subcomponents                          Climate Change Information
   Inclusive economic        Pillar 1: Economic opportunities,      Climate Change impact on the Project               Medium
   growth (IEG)              including jobs, created and expanded
   Regional integration      Pillar 2: Trade and investment
   (RCI)
qq

4. Drivers of Change         Components                             Gender Equity and Mainstreaming
   Knowledge solutions       Application and use of new knowledge   Some gender elements (SGE)
   (KNS)                     solutions in key operational areas
                             Knowledge sharing activities
     Partnerships (PAR)      Bilateral institutions (not client
                             government)
                             Implementation
qq

5. Poverty and SDG Targeting                                        Location Impact
   Geographic Targeting No                                          Regional                                             High
   Household Targeting No
   SDG Targeting        Yes
   SDG Goals            SDG8, SDG9, SDG11
Qq

6. Risk Categorization       Low
Qq

7. Safeguard Categorization         Safeguard Policy Statement does not apply
qq

8. Financing
   Modality and Sources                                                                    Amount ($ million)
   ADB                                                                                                                    3.00
     Knowledge and Support technical assistance: Technical Assistance                                                     3.00
   Special Fund
   Cofinancing                                                                                                            0.00
     None                                                                                                                 0.00
   Counterpart                                                                                                            0.00
     None                                                                                                                 0.00
   Total                                                                                                                  3.00

     Currency of ADB Financing: USD
q

Source: Asian Development Bank
This document must only be generated in eOps.      24102018203504739690                 Generated Date: 12-Nov-2018 13:00:37 PM
I.         INTRODUCTION

1.       The knowledge and support technical assistance (TA) cluster will support the
preparation of the Asian Development Outlook (ADO) through research and development in the
Asian Development Bank (ADB) headquarters. It will analyze the macroeconomic prospects of
ADB’s developing member economies (DMEs) and provide insights into the economic issues
and challenges facing Asia and the Pacific. The ADO provides vital intelligence to policy makers
in DMEs, ADB Management and shareholders, and researchers globally; and underpins ADB
operational decisions. The ADO showcases ADB’s knowledge and expertise about Asia and the
Pacific.

2.     The TA was submitted in October 2017 to the Strategy, Policy and Review Department
as part of the priority TA program of the Economic Research and Regional Cooperation
Department (ERCD) and was endorsed as a corporate priority TA in December 2017.1

                                            II.      ISSUES

3.      Developing Asia have made considerable progress in economic growth and poverty
reduction since the 1960s. 2 It has been the world’s fastest-growing region in recent years,
accounting for about 60% of global growth from 2013 to 2017. Developing Asia has transitioned
from a region of low-income economies to one dominated by middle-income economies, with
about 80% of DMEs enjoying middle-class status in 2015.3 However, DMEs remain vulnerable
to a multitude of challenges caused by entrenched poverty and vulnerability, global economic
uncertainty, inequality, climate change and environmental degradation, food security,
urbanization, and aging. These challenges present both difficulties and opportunities. The
changing global and regional economic landscape has exposed developing economies in Asia
to frequent macroeconomic shocks. In some economies, limited data and other constraints
impede reliable short-term macroeconomic forecasting, and make it difficult to choose the most
effective policy tools to promote macroeconomic stability and sustainable growth.

4.      Asia and the Pacific has experienced a significant increase in the number of disasters
triggered by natural hazards—such as floods, typhoons and cyclones, drought, earthquakes,
volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis—from some 400 in the 1970s to more than 1,100 in the
2010s. In 2017, disaster-related damage totaled about $35 million.4 This threatens the region’s
long-term sustainability and development, and concerted effort is needed to formulate policies
and institute systems and safety nets to respond to increasing threats from natural hazards.

5.      Asia is poised to experience a dramatic increase in urbanization. Cities are widely
viewed to be driving growth and creating economic opportunities, and in this context increasing
urbanization in Asia portends well for the future. But to realize the opportunities associated with
urbanization, Asia’s cities must overcome various challenges, including those resulting from
inadequate investments in infrastructure and amenities (e.g., affordable housing, schools, and
hospitals); weak urban planning and suboptimal land use policies; ineffective urban governance
structures; and a lack of strong institutions.

1   The TA first appeared in the business opportunities section of ADB’s website on 29 August 2018.
2   Developing Asia refers to the 45 developing member economies of ADB.
3   ADB. 2017. Asian Development Outlook 2017: Transcending the Middle-Income Challenge. Manila.
4   Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters. EM-DAT database. https://www.emdat.be/database
    (accessed 3 August 2018).
2

6.      The adoption of technological advances—such as high-yield crops in agriculture and
modern machine tools in manufacturing—have lifted million of people out of poverty in Asia. The
region’s economies, especially those that have reached middle-income status, need to foster
their ability to innovate. Technology offers new ways to solve pressing issues in areas as
diverse as disaster preparedness, safety, transportation, clean water, and affordable health
care, and it is essential that countries in the region develop their capability to innovate, and thus
boost their efficiency and increase employment, both directly and indirectly.

7.      Asia’s transformation into a middle-income region has led the region’s inhabitants to
aspire for a better quality of life, and to place a higher priority on well-being and happiness. For
example, the People’s Republic of China has included its people’s well-being as a strategic
national goal, while Bhutan has pioneered the measurement and monitoring of gross national
happiness as a broader policy target than gross domestic product. Furthermore, Asia’s
population is aging, which when combined with increasing incomes will result in demand for a
broader range of personal services. The change in demand for services such as health care and
tourism has boosted the “wellness industry” globally, and will provide opportunities and
challenges for inclusive sustainable development in the region.

8.     Many DMEs have limited capacity to respond to these emerging challenges, in part
because policy makers lack precedents to help them formulate sound responses. This
emphasizes the need for up-to-date research and comprehensive analyses of evolving
macroeconomic developments and issues affecting the region, and in particular examples of
best practices from other countries. As stated in ADB’s Strategy 2030, ADB’s relevance will
increasingly depend on its role as a knowledge institution, and particularly its proactive role in
research. ADB’s knowledge and evidence-based research is pivotal in raising understanding
and awareness of critical areas for action, supporting good policies and reform in DMEs, and
adding to global development discussions by offering perspectives from the region.5

9.       The TA cluster implemented through three subprojects will support activities to produce
one of ADB’s flagship publications. The ADO’s comprehensive analysis of evolving
macroeconomic advances and emerging development challenges in the region helps ADB
strengthen its role as a knowledge institution, and supports the knowledge and operational work
of ADB’s regional departments. Country chapters monitor the latest economic developments
and provide a near-term outlook, which are essential in developing appropriate policy
recommendations to ensure macroeconomic stability. The chapters’ policy challenge sections
analyze key obstacles to inclusive economic growth, such as (i) factors preventing productive
employment generation, (ii) human development constraints, (iii) gender and other
socioeconomic and demographic barriers, (iv) spatial and geographical limitations, (v)
institutional and policy weaknesses, and (vi) factors preventing expansion of social protection
programs. The thematic chapters examine important development challenges for a transforming
Asia and the Pacific. Recent themes include assessing the impact of technology on jobs,
leveraging public–private partnerships, transcending the middle-income challenge, and shifting
economies to a low-carbon growth path. The ADO can help provide research and data support
for participation by ADB Management in regional and global policy forums and contribute to
informed debate in topical areas, such as climate change and disaster risk, rapid urbanization,
innovation and technology, and the future of the service industry. The report’s analysis of the
region provides insights that help guide appropriate policy responses to the economic issues
facing the region.

5   ADB. 2018. Strategy 2030: Achieving a Prosperous, Inclusive, Resilient, and Sustainable Asia and the Pacific.
    Manila.
3

                         III.    JUSTIFICATION FOR CLUSTER MODALITY

10.     The Macroeconomics Research Division (ERMR) of ADB’s Economic Research and
Regional Cooperation Department (ERCD) will continue to formulate a 2-year rolling research
plan centered on enhancing the quality of ADB’s flagship publications. This is an initiative that
ERCD (previously the Economic and Research Department) began in 2011 in response to
growing demand for knowledge solutions from ADB DMEs, knowledge-related support from
ADB, and an Asian voice in international forums.6 The extension of the research production
process has proven beneficial for the ADO, especially in preparing the thematic chapters, as it
allowed ERMR more time for in-depth analysis and rigorous peer review. The ADO will address
several important development challenges facing the transforming Asia and Pacific region,
making the TA cluster approach an appropriate modality to ensure ongoing support for the 2-
year rolling research work through timely engagement of experts and other activities.

                          IV.     THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CLUSTER

A.       Impact, Outcome, and Outputs

11.    The TA cluster is aligned with the following impacts: (i) environment within which policy
formulation occurs influenced by the ADO and (ii) debates and policy research on important
development challenges facing Asia and the Pacific spurred by the ADO. The TA cluster will
have the following outcome: reference to the ADO by the media, economic researchers, and
DME officials maintained or increased.7

12.      Output 1: Asian Development Outlook, its update, and its supplements
disseminated. The TA cluster will support the production of the ADO, one of ADB’s flagship
publications. It will support (i) preparing background analytical papers following the 2-year rolling
research plan, (ii) further developing and refining analytical methods, (iii) drafting ADO content
for 2019–2021, (iv) editing economic content and manuscripts, (v) preparing and laying out
materials for publication, and (vi) disseminating key results and policy messages. The
publications will be widely disseminated in collaboration with ADB’s Department of
Communications and participating resident missions. The international launch will be followed
by presentations cohosted by ADB development partners within and outside Asia and the
Pacific. Outreach will include analytical discussions of the issues in partnership with academic
institutions and think tanks. The ADOs will be disseminated as electronic files on the ADB
website, but because there is still demand for printed copies from Management and outside
researchers, ERCD will print limited copies (about 500 each year) in compliance with the
Administrative Order on Energy, Environment, Health, and Safety Management System. 8
Printing of the ADO switched to print-on-demand in 2017.

13.     Output 2: Background papers published. To provide a solid empirical and analytical
foundation for ADO content, the TA cluster will commission background research papers to
supplement ERMR research on selected thematic topics—such as climate change and disaster
risk, environmental sustainability, rapid urbanization, innovation and technology, and the future
of the service industry—by analyzing issues and policy implications for developing Asia.

6   ADB (ERCD). 2011. Economic and Research Department Strategic Directions, 2012–2014. Unpublished report.
    November (internal).
7   The design and monitoring framework is in Appendix 1.
8   ADB. 2016. Energy, Environment, Health, and Safety Management System. Administrative Orders. AO 4.13.
    Manila.
4

Conferences focusing on the thematic chapters will be organized to strengthen ADO content,
and distinguished economists will be invited to discuss initial drafts of the background papers to
improve the analytical rigor and policy relevance of the thematic chapters. These papers will be
consolidated in edited research volumes to provide researchers with more extensive analyses
related to the thematic topics. The research volumes may be copublished with a reputable
publishing house, which could entail a buy-back arrangement. Background papers will also be
published as working papers on the ADB website.

B.        Cost and Financing

14.    The TA cluster is estimated to cost $3,000,000 ($1,000,000 for each of the three TA
subprojects), which will be financed on a grant basis by ADB’s Technical Assistance Special
Fund (TASF 6 for subproject 1; subsequent subprojects will be financed by the succeeding
TASF replenishment). Detailed cost estimates and financing arrangements will be presented in
each TA subproject proposal submitted for approval.

C.        Implementation Arrangements

15.     ADB will administer the TA cluster. ERMR will directly handle TA cluster administration
and supervision, management of consultants, procurement, and accomplishment of outputs.
Adopting the One ADB approach in knowledge solutions, ERMR will continue to collaborate with
regional departments, including resident missions; other knowledge departments; and relevant
sector and thematic groups on activities under each subproject. Each TA subproject proposal
will be submitted for approval to the ERCD chief economist and director general, following the
business process for knowledge and support TA cluster.9 Subproject activities will start only
after approval of each TA subproject proposal. Table 1 provides the implementation
arrangements.

          Table 1: Implementation Arrangements for the Technical Assistance Cluster
Aspects                                                     Arrangements
Indicative implementation           November 2018–December 2022.
period for the TA cluster
Executing and implementing          Macroeconomics Research Division of ADB’s Economic Research and
agency                              Regional Cooperation Department
Consultantsa                        Package title            Selection method      Engaged by
                                    Individual               ICSb                  ADB
Disbursement                        The TA resources will be disbursed following ADB's Technical Assistance
                                    Disbursement Handbook (2010, as amended from time to time).
ADB = Asian Development Bank, ICS = individual consultant selection, TA = technical assistance.
a Terms of reference for consultants, including resource persons, will be included in the subprojects.
b Framework contracts will be considered. Output-based, lump-sum, or time-based contracts will be used as

  appropriate.
Source: Asian Development Bank.

16.    Subprojects. The TA cluster will be implemented through three subprojects (Appendix
2). Each subproject will be designed to support the achievement of the cluster outputs (paras.
12–13) as and when needed during implementation (Table 2).

9   ADB. 2017. Staff Instruction on Business Processes for Knowledge and Support Technical Assistance. Manila.
5

        Table 2: Indicative Implementation Period and Budget Allocation for Subprojects
                                                                                                   Budget
Item                          Subproject Title                    Implementation Period            ($’000)
Subproject 1        Asian Development Outlook 2019            November 2018–December 2020            1.0
Subproject 2        Asian Development Outlook 2020            October 2019–December 2021             1.0
Subproject 3        Asian Development Outlook 2021            October 2020–December 2022             1.0
Source: Asian Development Bank.

17.     Consulting services. The TA cluster will require international consulting services from
economists and sector specialists who will prepare background papers and analyses supporting
the thematic chapters or topics related to the outlook. International economic advisory and
editing consultants will perform economic and technical editing of ADO manuscripts before final
publication. National economics consultants and research assistants will provide data
management assistance and conduct research on particular topics. National consultants will be
needed for the desktop publishing and graphic design of the publication. Resource persons will
be engaged for a maximum of 15 working days each to conduct training on macroeconomics
and economic forecasting and also serve as discussants during workshops. Contracts for
consulting services will consist of output-based, lump-sum, time-based or framework contracts,
as appropriate, and the consultants and resource persons will be recruited as individuals to
ensure individuals with the requisite experience and qualifications are recruited. The ADO
covers a wide range of topics, and highly qualified consultants with expertise relevant to ADO
requirements will most likely be associated with various research institutions, think tanks, and
universities. Further, the TA will require rapid mobilization of the editorial consultants. The
consultants will be engaged in accordance with the ADB Procurement Policy (2017, as
amended from time to time) and the associated staff instructions.

18.    Knowledge partnerships. ERCD will seek to collaborate with reputable centers of
excellence during the conduct of research and implementation, and these may be engaged
through knowledge partnership agreements (KPAs). Specific entities will be identified during TA
cluster implementation. A nomination proposal will be prepared for proposed knowledge
partners, and the corresponding KPA will be finalized prior to approval of each TA subproject.
Where knowledge partners are identified after TA subproject approval, ERCD will prepare a
minor change in implementation arrangements following para. 6 of the Staff Instruction on
Business Processes for Knowledge Partnerships under Technical Assistance Operations.10 All
KPAs will be processed following the staff instruction.

19.   ADB’s procurement. The TA cluster will finance procurement of information technology
equipment and software as needed. Procurement will follow the ADB Procurement Policy (2017,
as amended from time to time) and the Procurement Regulations for ADB Borrowers (2017, as
amended from time to time).

                                  V.      THE PRESIDENT’S DECISION

20.     The President, acting under the authority delegated by the Board, has approved the
provision of technical assistance not exceeding the equivalent of $3,000,000 on a grant basis
for Asian Development Outlook 2019–2021, and hereby reports this action to the Board.

10   ADB. 2017. Staff Instruction on Business Processes for Knowledge Partnerships under Technical Assistance
     Operations. Manila.
6       Appendix 1

                           DESIGN AND MONITORING FRAMEWORK

Impacts the TA is Aligned with
Environment within which policy formulation occurs in DMEs influenced by the ADOa
Debates and policy research on important development challenges facing Asia and the Pacific spurred by
the ADOa
                         Performance Indicators            Data Sources and
Results Chain          with Targets and Baselines       Reporting Mechanisms              Risks
Outcome
Reference to the      a. Maintain or increase media a. DOC media monitoring Unforeseen changes
ADO by the media,     citations of ADO made in         reports                   in the global or
economic              target newspapers, television                              regional political and
researchers and       reports, and publications                                  economic
DME officials         (2018 baseline: 1,800                                      environment
maintained or         citations)                                                 undermine the
increased                                                                        relevance of ADO
                      b. ADO content used in ADB       b. ADB Management         messages.
                      Management speeches,             speeches, talking points,
                      talking points, and briefing     and briefing notes
                      notes, as follows: 53 for
                      subproject 1; 55 for
                      subproject 2; and 58 for
                      subproject 3 (2018 baseline:
                      50 speeches and briefing
                      notes)

                      c. ADO content used in four     c. Country partnership
                      ADB documents per               strategies, ADF
                      subproject (2018 baseline:      replenishment reports,
                      three ADB documents)            and other ADB
                                                      documents

                      d. Maintain or increase         d. Web search engine
                      references to ADO by            that indexes the full text
                      external researchers            or metadata of scholarly
                      (2018 baseline: 60 citations)   literature across an array
                                                      of publishing formats and
                                                      disciplines (e.g., Google
                                                      Scholar)

                      e. Maintain or increase         e. Reports from resident
                      references to ADO by DME        missions and local
                      officials (four citations per   newspapers
                      subproject) (2018 baseline:
                      three citations)
Outputs
1. ADO, ADO           1a. 500 copies each of ADO      1a. Number of                Unforeseen
Update, and ADO       and ADO Update printed and      publications printed         circumstances may
supplements           distributed                                                  compromise the
disseminated for 3                                                                 production schedule.
years (2019–2021)     1b. Downloads of ADO, ADO       1b. DOC web download
                      Update, and ADO                 statistics
                      supplements averaged
                      50,000 for subprojects 1, 2
                      and 3
Appendix 1     7

                       Performance Indicators          Data Sources and
Results Chain         with Targets and Baselines     Reporting Mechanisms              Risks

2. Background          2a. By 2022, all background     2a. Number of            Unexpected
papers published       papers under each TA            publications produced    circumstances, such
for 3 years (2019–     subproject published in                                  as delay in peer
2021)                  journals or edited research                              review, derail the
                       volumes                                                  publication schedule.
Key Activities with Milestones
1. Output 1
1.1 Conduct workshops (December 2018, February 2019, May 2019, and July 2019; December 2019,
    February 2020, May 2020, and July 2020; December 2020, February 2021, May 2021, and July 2021)
1.2 Draft background papers (November 2018–January 2019 and January–June 2019; November 2019–
    January 2020 and January–June 2020; November 2020–January 2021 and January–June 2021)
1.3 Draft, review, and edit ADO contents (November 2018–March 2019 and May–September 2019;
    November 2019–March 2020 and May–September 2020; November 2020–March 2021 and May–
    September 2021)
1.4 Finalize and disseminate publications (April 2019, July 2019, September 2019, and December 2019;
    April 2020, July 2020, September 2020, and December 2020; April 2021, July 2021, September 2021,
    and December 2021)

2. Output 2
2.1 Edit background papers (April–October 2019 and November 2019–May 2020; April–October 2020
    and November 2020–May 2021; April–October 2020 and November 2021–May 2022)
2.2 Publish as edited research volumes or submit to reputable peer-reviewed academic journals
    (December 2019 and June 2020; December 2020 and June 2021; December 2021 and June 2022).

TA Management Activities
Consultant recruitment (November–December 2018, May 2019, November–December 2019, May 2020,
November–December 2020, May 2021)
Procurement of information technology equipment (schedule to be determined)
Inputs
ADB: $3,000,000 ($1,000,000 for each of the three TA subprojects)
Assumptions for Partner Financing
Not Applicable
ADB = Asian Development Bank, ADF = Asian Development Fund, ADO = Asian Development Outlook, DME =
developing member economy, DOC = Department of Communications, TA = technical assistance.
a Defined by TA.

Source: Asian Development Bank.
8       Appendix 2

                                    SUBPROJECT DESCRIPTIONS

Subproject 1                          Asian Development Outlook 2019
Indicative outputs and activities     Subproject 1 of the TA cluster will cover the ADO 2019 cycle and
                                      will produce the following outputs: ADO 2019, ADO 2019 Update,
                                      ADO supplements, and background papers. It will support
                                      activities to strengthen ADB’s economic work, assess the most
                                      recent economic performance and prospects of ADB’s DMEs, and
                                      present the results in ADB’s flagship publication.

                                      The ADO thematic chapters will deal with the issues and
                                      challenges identified in Strategy 2030.a As discussed with the
                                      President, ADO 2019 will tackle the dynamic interplay of disaster
                                      risk and socioeconomic development in Asia. The thematic
                                      chapter will begin with a classification of disasters caused by
                                      natural hazards in Asia and then present an overview of recent
                                      disaster impact trends across the region, in terms of the frequency
                                      and magnitude of hazard events, the resulting losses and damage
                                      to people’s lives, and the socioeconomic development impacts. It
                                      will focus on the national and subnational level to understand how
                                      local context—including infrastructure, governance, and
                                      community resilience—shapes disaster risks; and the distribution
                                      of impacts across space and time. The thematic chapter will focus
                                      on the circumstances under which disaster risks are reduced or
                                      amplified by market mechanisms (including insurance, trade, and
                                      supply chains); government action (for example in the form of
                                      infrastructure, early warning systems, and recovery assistance);
                                      and actions on the part of individuals who may be displaced, and
                                      communities through social networks and/or social capital.

                                      The ADO 2019 Update, tentatively titled “Asian Cities: Fostering
                                      Growth and Inclusion,” will focus on key constraints that may
                                      prevent Asian cities from serving as engines of growth and job
                                      creation, and policy options to address these. The thematic topic
                                      will address how urbanization is related to growth and inclusion;
                                      how the nature of urbanization (such as city size, city
                                      specialization, and urban forms) can shape this relationship; and
                                      what policies should be adopted to maximize the benefits of
                                      urbanization in the region.
Indicative implementation             ADB will administer subproject 1. ERMR will be directly
arrangements                          responsible for TA subproject administration and supervision,
                                      management of consultants, procurement, and accomplishment of
                                      outputs. The TA subproject proposal will be submitted for approval
                                      to the ERCD chief economist and director general, following the
                                      business process for knowledge and support TA cluster
                                      processing.b
Implementation schedule               November 2018–December 2020
Subproject 2                          Asian Development Outlook 2020
Indicative outputs and activities     Subproject 2 of the TA cluster will cover the ADO 2020 cycle and
                                      will produce the following outputs: ADO 2020, ADO 2020 Update,
                                      ADO supplements, and background papers. It will support
                                      activities to strengthen ADB’s economic work and assess the most
                                      recent economic performance and prospects of ADB’s DMEs, and
                                      present the results in ADB’s flagship publication.
Appendix 2       9

                                         As discussed with the President, the ADO 2020 thematic chapter
                                         will address “How Can Asia’s Firms be more Innovative?” This
                                         research will take stock of technological innovation in Asia and the
                                         Pacific and explore how innovation contributed to the region’s
                                         growth and development. The study will adopt a global
                                         perspective to identify major barriers and constraints to innovation
                                         in Asia, and explore the effectiveness of policies to foster
                                         innovation, directly and indirectly.

                                         The ADO 2020 Update will explore the importance of the wellness
                                         industry in Asia’s future growth. To understand the industry in Asia
                                         the Update will define the industry and examine its role in human
                                         well being; examine the current wellness industry in Asia—its
                                         outputs, employment, growth trends, key industries, and other
                                         indicators; and analyze the industry’s drivers and economic and
                                         development impact through empirical analysis and country case
                                         studies. Based on the analysis, the study will recommend policies
                                         to maximize the wellness industry’s contribution to inclusive and
                                         environmentally sustainable development in the region.
Indicative implementation                ADB will administer subproject 2. ERMR will be directly
arrangements                             responsible for the TA subproject administration and supervision,
                                         management of consultants, procurement, and accomplishment of
                                         outputs. The TA subproject proposal will be submitted for approval
                                         to the ERCD chief economist and director general, following the
                                         business process for knowledge and support TA cluster
                                         processing.b
Implementation schedule                  October 2019–December 2021
Subproject 3                             Asian Development Outlook 2021
Indicative outputs and activities        Subproject 3 of the TA cluster will cover the ADO 2021 cycle;
                                         outputs will include ADO 2021, ADO 2021 Update, ADO
                                         supplements, and background papers. It will support activities to
                                         strengthen ADB’s economic work and assess the most recent
                                         economic performance and prospects of ADB’s DMEs, and
                                         present the results in ADB’s flagship publication.

                                         ERCD will solicit ideas for the thematic topics of ADO 2021 and
                                         ADO 2021 Update through discussions with regional departments,
                                         members of the regional economic task force, and exchanges with
                                         sector and thematic groups, as well as by responding to priority
                                         issues identified by ADB Management as outlined in Strategy
                                         2030.a
Indicative implementation                ADB will administer subproject 3. ERMR will be directly
arrangements                             responsible for the TA subproject administration and supervision,
                                         management of consultants, procurement, and accomplishment of
                                         outputs. The TA subproject proposal will be submitted for approval
                                         to the ERCD chief economist and director general, following the
                                         business process for knowledge and support TA cluster
                                         processing.b
Implementation schedule                  October 2020–December 2022
ADB = Asian Development Bank, ADO = Asian Development Outlook, DME = developing member economies, ERCD
= Economic Research and Regional Cooperation Department, ERMR = Macroeconomics Research Division, TA =
technical assistance.
a ADB. 2018. Strategy 2030: Achieving a Prosperous, Inclusive, Resilient, and Sustainable Asia and the Pacific.

  Manila.
b ADB. 2017. Staff Instruction on Business Processes for Knowledge and Support Technical Assistance. Manila.

Source: Asian Development Bank.
You can also read